While A’ja Wilson continues to put up MVP-level performances for the Las Vegas Aces, the same can’t be said for the rest of her teammates. The 2022 and 2023 champions have lost their 9th game of the season. They are now below the .500 mark– a place you’d never expect to see a Becky Hammon-coached team. And as you’d guess, she’s far from pleased with how things are going.
“That’s a complete lack of professionalism to come in here with that effort…They played harder yesterday in practice, by a lot, wasn’t even close. So I don’t know how you step onto the floor with 20K people in the stands and perform like that,” were the words of the coach after the loss against Indiana. She had every right to be frustrated after that loss, especially considering the window they have.
For those wondering, the Las Vegas Aces are built to win now. With a veteran-heavy core, very few young prospects, and almost no valuable draft picks to use in the upcoming years, this team is in a “make it or break it” situation. So, dropping games like this one? Simply not acceptable. The playoffs are the minimum expectations for the Aces, but after every loss, it becomes painfully obvious that this core of players might not be fit enough to win anymore!
While Hammon was extremely critical about how A’ja Wilson and co performed, she was also not happy with the way the Fever played against them. In the post-game conference, she said, “I thought they were grabbing and holding us. And you know, it’s a rugby match. It’s a rugby match and my team doesn’t want to play rugby back—so we get our ass kicked. Period.”
The Indiana Fever ended the game with 37 rebounds as opposed to 26 by the Aces. Becky Hammon’s side let the Fever shoot almost 50% from the field while they struggled to get anything going, managing only 26% themselves. But that’s not all! The 38 points in the paint. At times, it looked like grown women going up against middle schoolers out there. Hammon too felt the same thing, saying, “There has to be some fight back if they’re going to allow that kind of physicality. My team has to step up and match that physicality, period.”
Oct 1, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson (22) and New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) during game two of the 2024 WNBA Semi-finals at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
A’ja Wilson has been the lone bright spot in what’s turning into a tough season for the Aces. Wilson scored 29 points on 9-of-18 shooting. She did everything she could to keep her team in the game– but her teammates? The rest of the side combined to shoot just 7-of-43. Yes, A’ja alone had more field goals made than the entire Aces team. How can you explain such levels of performance?
Despite this, Wilson tried to stay positive. “The beautiful thing about our league is we have another day, another game to try to do better. Some nights we show greatness, sometimes we show crap. That ain’t what championship teams are. So we’ve got to get back on track. We have to really lean on each other now more than ever. I’m not going to let any of my teammates hold their heads down, because they’re way too good.”
It is understandable to see Becky Hammon severely unhappy with the way things have been going for the Aces. She has repeatedly criticised her team, hoping her team would take the message and respond. But so far, not much has changed. But looks like she has a plan to turn the situation around. Let’s take a look at what she had to say.
Becky Hammon might have a plan to change the fortunes of A’ja Wilson and co
The Aces have a record of 8-9 to start the season. They have the 9th-best offensive rating and the 9th-best defensive rating in the game. Far from ideal for a team that has never finished below the semifinals under coach Becky Hammon. The departures of Kelsey Plum and key bench contributors like Tiffany Hayes, Kate Martin, and Sydney Colson have clearly taken a toll. But coach Becky Hammon might have a plan to turn around the fortunes of the team.
“Maybe we’ve got to shake something up, shake up the starting lineup,” Hammon said. “It’s really hard to know as a coach what team you’re getting on a given night. If I knew what buttons to push to make sure our effort was appropriate every night, I’d be pushing those buttons.”
Based on her words, we can assume some lineup changes going forward. Don’t be surprised if NaLyssa Smith gets a starting nod soon after her recent arrival via trade. What changes do you think Becky Hammon will make to turn things around? Drop your predictions in the comments below!
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